It took less than 48 hours for tragedy and mourning to be replaced by skepticism and what some construe as a witch hunt.

Sprint Car driver Jason Leffler was fatally injured on June 12 while competing at New Jersey's Bridgeport Speedway. A torsion stop broke, locking up the right front and the car veered head on into the fence.

The car spun around and hit the wall on the driver's side. The worst possible scenario became a reality an hour later when Leffler was pronounced dead at a local hospital from what state police later reported as blunt force trauma to the neck.

But this wasn't like other deaths at the local level. Leffler, a former NASCAR regular, still dabbled at motorsports' highest level and that meant unwanted, and in some cases, unwarranted attention from national media outlets.

The coverage took a a critical turn. Local racing was put under the microscope for safety at its local facilities.

“Tragically, a kid [Josh Burton] died three weeks or so ago,” said Alan Kreitzer, part of the management team at Lincoln Speedway. “That happened to be in our sport, and you barely knew it happened.

“Every news related story [about Jason Leffler] had NASCAR in front of his name, but that doesn't make what happened three weeks ago any less tragic. We can't put our heads in the sand, but the reaction that has come out of the Jason Leffler situation is not justified.”

A New York Times story, “Danger Lurks in Dirt Track Racing,” questioned the regulations and safety procedures at the local level.

The piece had a critical slant towards the absence of soft walls, or SAFER barriers, that are used in NASCAR and IndyCar.

Within hours, the story circulated through Twitter and other social media outlets drawing the ire of fans. Diandra Leslie-Pelecky, a physics professor at West Virginia University, was also quoted in the story.

“They have this giant wing up there, and that's going to raise the center of gravity,” Leslie-Pelecky said. “The higher the center of gravity, the less stable it is.”

Bryan Baumgardner, owner of Wings Unlimited, a company located in Biglerville, Pa, that supplies wings to teams across the country, disagreed with the professor's assessment.

“Everybody has seen non-wing races, and they are more out of control and there is more of a chance of getting hurt,” Baumgardner said.

“What [Diandra Leslie-Pelecky] doesn't realize or isn't familiar with is that the wing is opposite of an airplane wing. We have downforce, non-dish wings that keep these cars stable and on the ground.”

Calls by pennlive.com to Leslie-Pelecky were not returned.

Said Baumgardner, “Having wings helps with safety. If a wingless car goes barrel rolling down the backstretch, it keeps going. A winged car slows and grabs as long as the wing stays attached.”

The New York Times piece, as well as other national media outlets, sensationalized the fact that six drivers have died at dirt tracks in the last 13 months.

What was overlooked in the story is the inherent danger in auto racing, no matter the car or the location. Indianapolis Motor Speedway has seen 56 driver deaths — most of any track in the country — in its 104-year history. Daytona International Speedway, which opened in 1959, has been the site of 24 deaths.

Leffler was only the second driver fatality at Bridgeport Speedway. He was the fifth driver with central Pennsylvania connections to have died in a race incident in the last 20 years, according to sources.

“I think the authors of these stories took the easy path,” said Tom Deery, President of the World Racing Group. “The assumption is that if a track doesn't have a soft wall, it isn't safe.

“Short tracks were cast in a pretty bad light. When that happens — when the small business man is treated like that, it becomes personal.

“No one operates a facility to be unsafe or unprepared. Reading [the New York Times], it was taken that track operators don't care.”

Comparing NASCAR and IndyCar with dirt-track racing seems a bit absurd when considering the numbers.

NASCAR holds just over 90 events between its three national series during a season. IndyCar has a schedule consisting of 19 races. There are more races held at dirt-tracks East of the Mississippi in one weekend, which provides more opportunity for a fatality.

These tragedies aren't taken lightly. Every incident is investigated and if changes are needed, swift action takes place.

In many areas, track crews have improved whether it is through equipment or training. The cars have gotten safer, especially Sprint Cars that have improved seats, tubing and the institution of a minimum weight limit.

“These cars are not what they were in the 50s,” Kreitzer said. “I can go to the Eastern Museum of Motorsports and show you photos of cars with no roll cages and the drivers wearing leather helmets.

“There have been a lot of improvements, especially in the driver area — seats, helmets, belt systems — so we will continue that.

“You can't look to blame the track operators or the cars. It's an accident. There are a lot of smart people in Sprint Car racing from the constructors to the competitors. If there is a problem, they will figure it out.”